


Ring The Dinner Bell

by Higuchimon



Series: On Dragon Wings [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Diversity Writing Challenge, M/M, One Ship Boot Camp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-05-09
Packaged: 2018-03-16 10:05:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3484166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higuchimon/pseuds/Higuchimon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dragons devour virgins and keep princesses captive.  At least, that's what the legends say, and when a dragon arrives in good Prince Vector's kingdom, the prince finds that his father knows a lot about legends.  But maybe he can learn a little something about dragons?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dragon

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal  
 **Title:** Ring The Dinner Bell: Chapter 1: Dragon  
 **Romance:** Mizael x Vector  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,615||story: 1,615  
 **Genre:** Romance, Fantasy|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Challenge, section I, #12, a multichap with exactly 10 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, Mizael x Vector, prompt #30, dinner  
 **Notes:** This is an AU with princes, magic, knights, dragons, flying horses, and other such things. But no dueling with cards.  
 **Summary:** Dragons devour virgins and keep princesses captive. At least, that's what the legends say, and when a dragon arrives in good Prince Vector's kingdom, the prince finds that his father knows a lot about legends. But maybe he can learn a little something about dragons?

* * *

Prince Vector studied the opening of the cave, looking for he knew not what. He knew who, or what, was supposed to be there, and he couldn't say that he looked forward to encountering the creature. No one sane would, so far as he knew. No one sane had. 

He fidgeted, then froze, not wanting the clink of chains to sound. The guards who stood on each side of him, however, weren't so inclined to keep everything silent. One of them beat on his shield with all of his strength. 

"Your tribute has arrived, great creature!" He shouted. Vector made a point of not rolling his eyes. So far as he knew, this 'tribute' was only his father's decision, guided by his advisors. The dragon itself hadn't ever indicated that it wanted any such thing. 

Yet the virgins who'd been brought here before had all vanished, so something must have happened to them. No one had seen them, which had to mean they'd been devoured? Didn't it? 

Vector didn't know. What he knew was that he stood here, arms stretched outward and chained to the rocks just outside the cave mouth. 

From inside there came a noise as of someone moving. Someone, or something. Something very large. Vector steeled himself as the noise grew closer, and the guards didn't wait around. They backed off, one of them throwing the young prince a sympathetic look in the few moments before they fled out of sight. 

Vector raised his head higher and stared once more at the cave. He refused to admit the thread of fear that wrapped around his spine even existed as the shadowy form within the cave grew clearer. 

He couldn't really grasp how big the dragon was. While there were creatures larger, he'd never seen one himself, not in the flesh. Golden scales covered the beast from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail. Great wings arched from the back, and the talons gleamed bright and strong, easily capable of handling any number of enemies, as his father's armies had found out to their sorrow. The teeth were every bit as sharp as the talons and there were so many more of them. 

What startled Vector most of all were the eyes, however. They were large and curious and distant all at the same time, and shone the bright blue of a summer's day. 

Vector steeled himself. How many young virgins had stood where he did, waiting for this creature to shred them alive, to consume them in a few bites, and see what lay beyond in the afterlife? He could do no less than they did, facing his death with dignity. 

Would the dragon roast him first? Or would he be eaten raw? Would his sacrifice be enough for the dragon to leave? 

A long, low sigh interrupted his scattered thoughts and he stared at the dragon in confusion. Was it going to burn him now? 

"Another one?" The voice was not what he'd expected, a cold and evil rasp if it spoke at all. Instead, the dragon sounded _annoyed_. "Are you going to start howling and yelling like the others did?" 

Vector could only stare even more at that. "E..excuse me?" He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts sorted. No one had said anything about the dragon talking. No one had even asked it any questions. 

"I said, are you going to start yelling?" The dragon stared down at him, the tip of its tail, just barely visible where it lurked in the shadows of the cave still, twitching as if in annoyance. "All of the rest of you ridiculous humans did that as soon as they saw me." 

The prince shook his head again and swallowed, not yet having made any progress in thinking clearly. Being near the dragon and all of those teeth and that huge mouth made it all but impossible. 

"No?" He hoped, anyway. It wasn't as if yelling would do any good. Maybe the dragon didn't like noisy food? He braced himself; the dragon would need to know who he was. "Dragon, I am Prince Vector, firstborn son of the king of this land. I've never lain with a woman or a man. I hope this makes me an acceptable sacrifice and you'll leave the rest of my people alone." 

The dragon tilted its great head to the side, and if Vector faced a human, he would've sworn that this was done in confusion. " _Excuse_ me?" No, human or not, that was very clearly confusion. 

"I am a virgin prince, formerly heir to the throne until sent here. If that isn't acceptable to you, please let my father know what tribute _would_ be." Vector kept his head up the whole time, still watching to make certain he knew when the final moment came. He would not cower and shy away. He was better than that. 

Now the dragon leaned closer and it was all Vector could do to keep himself from flinching. He'd heard of dragonfear before but he'd never thought it would be so _terrifying_. This monster could make a single mouthful of him and never even notice it. 

"You think I want a sacrifice?" The dragon's breath ghosted against his skin, hot but not scorching, enough to redden, but not to burn and Vector hissed anyway, pulling himself as far back as the chains would allow. "Is that what all of this has been about?" 

Vector breathed hard, and all he could taste was the dragon's scent, like and not like a lizard, greater and far more terrible than anything he could've ever imagined before he looked into eyes so human and not human at the same time. 

"Yes?" This wouldn't end well for someone. Though if it were him or someone else, the prince didn't know. 

For a few moments the dragon remained still, and if it was thinking of eating Vector anyway, it didn't show on the reptilian features. Vector didn't dare to ask either. He hadn't made up his mind if he even wanted to know. 

At last, the creature moved again, raising his head. "I think that we should speak, prince." 

So he wouldn't be eaten. At least not yet. He couldn't put his trust in that he wouldn't be eaten at all quite yet. But for now he kept his head up, his eyes on those fair blue eyes. 

"As you wish, sir dragon. This is your home." And his mother had always taught him to be polite to all, from the least of beings to the greatest, so long as they were in that person's home. 

The dragon stared down at him, and a low, strange sound came from within. It took Vector a moment to realize that the dragon was _laughing_. He was about to ask why when the dragon's claws suddenly hovered above him. He tensed up, mouth open, but no sound came out until one claw rested on top of the rocks he was chained to. 

"I don't think you can break the chains like that," he gasped, realizing all over again how much larger than he was the dragon was. How _was_ he going to get out of this? 

"You might be right. Just a moment." The dragon pulled the claw away. Vector focused his attention on the chains, wishing that some kind of key had been provided. What if a hero of some kind had appeared and slain the dragon? Would he still be doomed to be chained here? 

There was an odd sort of hiss, but Vector still stared at the chains, wondering if there was any way that he could pick them or slide out of them. His thoughts skittered away in surprise as a slender, _human_ hand rested upon his wrist without warning, and snapped the chain as easily as if it were made out of simple thread. 

Vector jerked his head around and stared at the young man who stood in front of him. The outfit he wore was elegant, a mix of pure white linen and golden armor, and his hair fell down past his shoulders, as bright gold as the dragon's scales. 

"Who are you?" Vector blinked again as he realized that the dragon wasn't anywhere to be seen now. The stranger reached over to crush the other chain before he said anything. 

"You don't recognize me? I'm certain I still smell the same." His voice was faintly familiar. Vector rubbed his wrists absently; he'd had a very long day and his thinking processes weren't up their usual pace. 

"Smell?" 

This had to be a warrior of some kind. He carried a long sword by his side, and underneath his clothing, Vector could see strong muscles. The warrior gave him an amused look that reminded him strongly of... of the dragon? 

"Are you..." He really felt he should've read more about dragons before this. 

The smile reminded him even more of the dragon, though the teeth now weren't quite as sharp and there weren't as many of them, either. "You can call me Mizael. I'll stay like this for now. Perhaps you'll be able to speak more intelligently if you're not being awed by my true form." 

Vector blinked a few times, then shook his head as hard as he could. "I think I should be offended by that." 

"If you want to be you can be. Come along. I said we needed to talk and we do." Mizael strode toward the cave opening and Vector followed along, wondering in the very back of his mind if he'd already been eaten and this was some kind of unusual afterlife. 

**To Be Continued**


	2. Discussion

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal  
 **Title:** Ring The Dinner Bell: Chapter 2: Discussion  
 **Romance:** Mizael x Vector  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,578||story: 3,193  
 **Genre:** Romance, Fantasy|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Challenge, section I, #12, a multichap with exactly 10 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, Mizael x Vector, prompt #30, dinner  
 **Notes:** This is an AU with princes, magic, knights, dragons, flying horses, and other such things. But no dueling with cards.  
 **Summary:** Dragons devour virgins and keep princesses captive. At least, that's what the legends say, and when a dragon arrives in good Prince Vector's kingdom, the prince finds that his father knows a lot about legends. But maybe he can learn a little something about dragons?

* * *

Vector didn't know what he'd expected inside of a dragon's cave. Treasure, of course, because everyone knew that dragons collected treasure. Perhaps the bones of past victims, human or otherwise? He hadn't ever given what a dragon might decorate with that much thought. 

Now that he stood inside of one, he had to admit that he wished he had. As he'd never thought he _would_ stand inside of one, perhaps his neglect in doing so wasn't unexpected. He took the chance to look around now that he could. 

The walls were as rocky and uncomfortable as he would've imagined, but there wasn't a huge pile of gold or even treasure chests anywhere. There were a few bones which he did recognize as being cattle, not human, as well as some that he didn't recognize at all, which were much larger than human _or_ cattle. 

A faint scent permeated the area, something rich and inviting, but not one familiar to him either. He sniffed a little and glanced at his strange companion. 

“What's that smell?” He hoped he wasn't being rude. It wasn't a good idea to offend one's host, especially when said host was in actuality a gigantic dragon perfectly capable of biting one's head off and hardly noticing such a thing had been done. 

Mizael didn't seem offended, though. His lips turned into a smile, one that Vector thought should show far more teeth than it did. Maybe it was the 'actually being a dragon' part. 

“Me. I've stayed here long enough so that the rocks are beginning to smell of me.” He leaped onto one of the rocks, making a more comfortable perch than Vector would've thought was possible. “Now, someone thinks that I want virgin sacrifices?” 

In all of his life, Vector hadn't ever thought that someone could say 'virgin sacrifices' and sound so actually offended by the words. 

“And you don't?” Vector decided to feel his way carefully through this conversation. 

Mizael gave him a look that could only have come from a being used to looking down on everything that it didn't actually eat, and most things that it did. “Why would I want them?” 

Vector winced at that, just a little bit. He was a prince; he didn't want to give a bad impression of himself. “I've always heard that dragons eat virgins?” He really, really didn't want to find out that was true and all of Mizael's questions so far were meaningless. 

v For a few moments, the shapechanged dragon only stared at him even more, and Vector had never in his life felt so incredibly _small_. Finally Mizael shook his head. “You saw my true size.” 

Vector nodded. 

“Those virgins were being sent once a week. Do you think that if that were the only thing I ate, once a week, that I could _get_ to that size?” 

In all of his life, Vector had never blushed as deeply as he did now. He ducked his head and stared at the scattered pebbles on the floor of the cave. “That's just what everything we know about dragons have said.” 

“You clearly don't know enough about dragons,” Mizael snorted. “Who arranged for these deliveries?” 

Vector found himself wishing Mizael wouldn't call the sacrifices 'deliveries'. It made him think of food all over again, and if the dragon didn't want them, he didn't want to think about them like that. 

“My father ordered the sages to research everything they could find about dragons, and that was what was found,” Vector offered. “He showed us all the books and they all agreed.” 

That got another snort from Mizael, along with a faint trace of smoke from one nostril. “So why all of the others before you? Didn't they realize when I didn't eat the first one that I wasn't going to?” 

Vector frowned, fingers clenching on the nearest rocks to him. “You didn't eat her?” But all of the sacrifices before him had been… had vanished, he reminded himself. “You said that they started yelling...” 

“That's right,” the dragon nodded, drumming his fingers lightly on his rocky perch. “They yelled and I left them be. They stopped yelling eventually and when I looked out again, they were gone. I could smell other humans around, so I assumed that they took them back home.” 

Vector slowly shook his head. “None of them ever came back.” He would've known. His father would've told him. 

Again smoke drifted from Mizael's nostrils. Given he was in human form, that really looked much stranger than it would have if he wasn't. But Vector knew better than to point this out. His mother had, after all, taught him manners. 

“They expect me to eat you,” Mizael said, his eyes now focused sharply on Vector. “If you return to your city, you may not have returned for long.” 

Vector blinked, then his own eyes narrowed as he put together what the other meant. Whoever removed the girls would likely find a way to remove him as well. 

“Then we need to find out who is doing this and stop them.” His father wouldn't like this at all. He was doing his best to protect his people, and someone was using it for their own purposes. 

Mizael nodded ever so slightly. “They won't enter my lair, so you'll be safe in here.” He smiled again and once more Vector could've sworn there were far more teeth visible than there should've been, and most of them were sharp and glittering. “I won't eat sacrifices, but intruders are a different tale altogether.” 

Vector decided that was a very good thing, too. He glanced around again. “How do we find out what's going on?” 

“You'll have to stay here until I can find something to disguise you in.” 

“What do you mean, disguise _me_?” The question was out of Vector's mouth before he could restrain it. But he didn't want to pull it back; surely a dragon would be a lot harder to disguise than he was? 

Mizael gave him another of those looks, until once more Vector wanted to bend his head and vanish into a puff of smoke. The dragon stood before him in full human form, and he wondered how he would disguise himself. 

He did try to recover himself, though. “Well, you're still not very - ” Vector struggled for the words, his cheeks heating up as he failed. “People are still going to notice you. You stand out. You're -attractive.” 

Which was probably the worst understatement he'd ever made in his entire life. Mizael was beautiful; no other word truly could describe him properly. His outfit was different from what most of Vector's people wore, but they could write that off to him being a foreigner. The point was, people would _notice_ him, no matter what he wore. 

Mizael only shrugged. “So? I look human enough to pass, and I can find what I need for you in your city.” 

Vector could tell that he wasn't going to get anywhere on this argument. “What else did you have in mind?” Maybe it would be best if they just figured out this mystery and went their separate ways. Being around the dragon clearly wasn't good for him. 

“They expect me to eat you,” Mizael repeated. “I will announce that I have and that the royal virgin was so delicious that I want another.” 

That got a mental groan from Vector. “There aren't any others. I'm an only child.” 

“So? I wouldn't eat any of them anyway.” Mizael tapped one foot in impatience. “But once we see what happens when I do tell them that, we can make progress.” 

Vector considered that carefully. It wasn't the best plan, and he wasn't certain he liked it at all, even if it had been the best. Talking to his father would possibly be a little less risky, but that also brought up something he hadn't considered before. 

_The sages. They could be the ones doing this. Perhaps they need virgins for rites of their own?_ The sages and magicians weren't supposed to use magic that required such things but it wouldn't be the first time one of them chose the path of evil and blood sacrifice of the worst kind. They all remained close to the king, sheltering under his protection, which meant if Vector approached his father now, they would know about him being alive in short order. 

“All right. We should probably get a disguise for me before you say that, though.” It would give him the chance to slip into the city and be in a position to see the reactions of the sages when the word came. 

Mizael nodded, jumping lightly to his feet. “Stay here.” 

Vector found a bit of a smile on his lips. “Where else would I go?” He tried not to think about how risky it was to even go back to the city now. If he were discovered, then whoever was behind this, be it the sages or not, would know sooner or later. 

Mizael said nothing to that, but vanished out of sight in another breath. Vector watched the way he went, but saw no sign at all of him. He let out a long, deep sigh. 

_I hope he hurries._ He wanted this taken care of as soon as possible. The idea of living in a dragon's uncomfortable lair for the rest of his life didn't appeal to the prince in the slightest. 

**To Be Continued**


	3. Disagreement

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal  
 **Title:** Ring The Dinner Bell: Chapter 3: Disagreeable  
 **Romance:** Mizael x Vector  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,611||story: 4,804  
 **Genre:** Romance, Fantasy|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Challenge, section I, #12, a multichap with exactly 10 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, Mizael x Vector, prompt #30, dinner  
 **Notes:** This is an AU with princes, magic, knights, dragons, flying horses, and other such things. But no dueling with cards.  
 **Summary:** Dragons devour virgins and keep princesses captive. At least, that's what the legends say, and when a dragon arrives in good Prince Vector's kingdom, the prince finds that his father knows a lot about legends. But maybe he can learn a little something about dragons?

* * *

_Humans!_ Mizael could hardly bring himself to believe this has actually happened. In all of his centuries, he'd never had someone think they needed to placate him by giving him _humans_ to eat. He'd acquired a few nice treasures for his hoard from humans who didn't know any better, but that was different. He wouldn't turn down a pretty bauble; there were few dragons who would, so long as it suited their choice of hoard. Mizael didn't think he was hard to please in that aspect. Simple gold and treasure was what his consisted of. 

Not that he let it lay around where humans could see it, of course. That was one reason he felt safe in leaving that prince – Vector, wasn't it?- in the lair while he searched for something to disguise the human with so they could get to the bottom of this. Without a dragon's eyes, no one could see the hoard. 

So, with that in mind, Mizael leaped and bounded his way down to the city. He knew where most of the humans in the area lived and worked so it was easy to avoid them. He didn't know what Vector meant by him being pretty, but he knew humans could delay him whether he understood that or not. 

The concept of 'pretty' worried at his mind a little as he moved onward. He knew by dragon standards he was quite the desirable mate. He'd had a few enjoyable liaisons with other dragons in the past as well. But never before had a human said anything like that to him. 

_It's the dragonawe,_ he decided. Some humans just couldn't shake it off and spent the rest of their lives thinking dragons were the most wonderful and impressive creatures that ever existed. 

This was true, without a doubt, but Mizael preferred that they think that _because_ it was true and not because of the supernatural aura that his species exuded as a matter of course. 

He put the thought to the side for the moment as the city gates drew nearer. The closer he grew, the more he could see what was going on there, and he wasn't surprised to see everything draped in mourning colors. Even the warriors who stood guard bore a strip of something to mark the loss of their prince. 

What they thought was the loss, anyway. Mizael quite looked forward to sorting this mess out and returning Vector to his people. He would move on then; if humans didn't start sacrificing to him, they frequently started to look for his hoard, and whether they could see it or not didn't matter. They would disturb his rest and his hunting, and while one human wouldn't satisfy his appetite, they did tend then to come in large groups which at least made a satisfying snack. 

And after that humans tended to get _tetchy_. Silly creatures. There were so many of them, Mizael didn't understand why they were perfectly willing to give up one of them and yet if he ate them in bulk, _he_ was the one they got angry at! 

Humans. So confusing and without any sense at all. 

Well, it was high time that he moved his lair if this was what they were going to be like. He hadn't visited Jinlong in ages anyway; perhaps it was time to fix that. His grandsire would likely have a few choice words to say about his time near humans as it was, mostly in the vein of 'I told you so'. It would be worth hearing it to know that no one was going to try to offer him up humans or steal from his precious hoard. 

And Jinlong really had told him so anyway. 

“Your purpose for entering the city?” One of the guards addressed him as he drew close to the entrance. None of the guards there seemed that happy to be on duty today, as far as Mizael could judge human expressions. 

“I'm looking for used clothes,” he replied. He had no qualms about lying, especially to humans, but there were spells which could detect the truth, and while not all magic affected dragons, he didn't care to run afoul of that which could. All in all, a simple bit of honest could go much further than complicated lies. 

The soldier gave him a quick look, as of disbelief, and Mizael casually expanded on it. “They're not for me. They're for someone I know. He doesn't have anything suitable to come into town with, so I said I'd find something for him.” 

Mizael didn't smile. He'd tried smiling at a human once while he was in human form, and the results confused him even now. The human had muttered something to the effect of 'how in world do you have that many teeth in your mouth, it's not right!' and never spoken to him again. 

Humans were just _strange_. 

So now, Mizael arranged his features in what he hoped looked like mild annoyance, the expression of someone sent on a task that was necessary but one they didn't especially enjoy. That was about the truth, just with an incredible lack of details that he was certain the guardsman didn't need to waste his time about. 

The guardsman must've felt much the same, as he waved Mizael in and pointed him in the direction of several used clothing merchants. Mizael made a point of recognizing this guardsman's scent; he'd been quite helpful and he didn't want to run a chance of eating him if everything went the wrong way. 

He didn't expect anything to go seriously wrong right now, not on a simple shopping expedition. But Mizael liked to plan for everything that he could and what he couldn't plan for he generally did wind up eating anyway. 

He _was_ a dragon. He had a reputation to uphold. 

Being a dragon also meant that he had senses far sharper and more suited toward hunting than humans. And that meant wandering in this city was not a pleasant way to spend his time. He could smell prey everywhere and he knew he couldn't attack any of it. The sudden appearance of a dragon in the midst of their city, especially the dragon they'd sent the prince to, would wreck all of his and Vector's half-formed plans. 

Again the thought of Vector slipped and wove into his thoughts. Mizael hadn't considered human attractiveness before. He'd never had a reason to, and he didn't think that he did now. But if he _were_ going to eat humans, he didn't think he would eat Vector. Vector hadn't been very afraid of him. He'd been somewhat afraid, because any living creature that saw something of Mizael's size, with all of his sharp teeth and claws and fire, and wasn't afraid would be little more than a fool. 

But the fear hadn't overwhelmed him. He'd been willing to die for his people, if it would've saved them. And Mizael found that… interesting, to say the least. He hadn't met many humans with that kind of courage. 

_Don't be foolish,_ he reminded himself. _You are a dragon. He is a human. Humans are **stupid** about mating, especially outside of their species. We will get this settled and I will leave._

Keeping that firmly in mind, he followed the guardsman's directions to the used clothing merchants. He kept a small pouch of coins with him at all times when disguised as a human, and had learned from previous encounters that it would be better if those were the smaller coins, not rare ones or ones of high value. Those who carried high value often had to deal with those who wanted to take that from them. 

Again, Mizael didn't want to eat some human and set the entire city on alert. 

The major issue that crossed his mind now was how to choose which of these outfits would suit his purposes best, and which would fit Vector without giving away that it was a disguise. Not to mention choosing one that didn't make him wonder if humans really had invented a method of washing their clothes or if that were some kind of rumor they'd spread around. 

He could hardly wait to get back to the clean air of the mountains. The sooner this was all settled, the better. The farther away from humans and their cities Mizael was, the happier he knew that he would be. 

While Mizael kept most of his focus on looking through piles of clothing and trying to remember just what Vector's body looked like, he could not stop himself from hearing all the gossip humans threw about between themselves. Most of it was boring, and he doubted even another human would've cared that much over who slept with whose mate, and who was reputed to have cheated their way to high marks in their educational system, and who was using cosmetic magic to keep their natural hair color and who wasn't. 

He ignored the majority of it as best that he could. While dragons had their own form of gossip, this didn't interest him. There were a few whispers of the prince's name that caught at his attention, but mostly sad murmurs of how kind he'd been and how his loss was so great to the city. One or two even mourned the chance they believed they'd had in wedding their daughters to him. 

Just when Mizael made his final purchase, another whiff of sound all but made his ears perk up even in human form. It started with a few simple words. 

“Did you hear what the king said about his son's sacrifice?” 

**To Be Continued**


	4. Disturbed

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal  
 **Title:** Ring The Dinner Bell: Chapter 3: Disturbed  
 **Romance:** Mizael x Vector  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,586||story: 6,390  
 **Genre:** Romance, Fantasy|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Challenge, section I, #12, a multichap with exactly 10 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, Mizael x Vector, prompt #30, dinner  
 **Notes:** This is an AU with princes, magic, knights, dragons, flying horses, and other such things. But no dueling with cards.  
 **Summary:** Dragons devour virgins and keep princesses captive. At least, that's what the legends say, and when a dragon arrives in good Prince Vector's kingdom, the prince finds that his father knows a lot about legends. But maybe he can learn a little something about dragons?

* * *

“I could hardly believe it myself. It's just not _like_ him. Prince Vector's always loved his father. At least, that's what I've always heard.” 

“I know, I know! But the king said that he found evidence of the treachery in the prince's own quarters, in his own hand, no less!” 

“No one should accuse the king of lying. It has to be true. Why would he lie about it, anyway?” 

“Well, he could - ” 

“No, he couldn't. The prince is gone now, no matter what. We need to worry about how the king will sire a new heir. The queen hasn't taken this well at all.” 

“Can you blame her? Her only child gone to that savage beast.” 

“I still think they should've called on a sorcerer or one of those adventuring bands to take care of the monster, if the army couldn't do it. Then we wouldn't be having this problem at all, _and_ we would have all the treasure that it gathered.” 

“I wonder how much it is. I hear dragons can live for _centuries_ and they just keep adding to their hoard the whole time.” 

“I'm sure it's impressive. Think of everything the prince carried up there with him. All decorating the dragon's cave now, of course and worthless to anyone who could put it to good use.” 

“Someone should go up there and see if there are any remains. They'll need to conduct funeral rites, won't they?” 

“The king has something planned, or so my cousin said, and _he_ works in the palace.” 

Mizael closed his eyes and did the mental _twist_ that pulled his attention away from what he was hearing. It wasn't something he needed to do often, but when there were all kinds of conversations around him, and he needed to focus on some of them in particular, he also needed to pull away from them sooner or later. 

No one here seemed to know the full story but he gathered from what he had picked up that the king intended, or had already begun, to spread a tale that Prince Vector planned some unspecified treachery against him, and so his 'sacrifice' to the dragon wasn't something for mourning, but rejoicing, that a threat had been removed from the people. 

_I look forward to seeing his expression when the prince returns **with** the dragon._ Mizael had never been completely fond of humans to start with, but when they drew him into their politics and intrigue, he became even less so. It would be hatchling's play to swoop down onto the city and burn it to the ground, but that also would just encourage those humans who wanted to use him as their weapon. He didn't need anything of the sort. 

Gathering his purchases close, he headed out of the square, intent on returning to Vector and passing on what he knew. He wasn't as schooled in human politics as the prince would be, and while he had his suspicions, someone who knew humans better would work this through. 

He could still scent prey, as well as raw meat, as he passed through another square on his way to the gates. The meat didn't smell nearly as appetizing as it would have if he'd hunted it himself. There was another scent that caught his attention, though, and he shifted his steps somewhat to find out where it came from. 

_Apples?_ He eyed the vendor from a few paces away, wondering if it were worth the time. He wouldn't need to eat for another day or so, but he seemed to recall that humans ate more frequently, and he didn't think Vector had had a meal since arriving at the lair. 

Two apples purchased and tucked into a small woven bag to carry, Mizael headed on out of the city with firm, decisive steps. He didn't want to get distracted by anything else, no matter what it might be. 

He'd just passed the gates when someone heading in the other direction caught his eye. He would've passed without noticing, if they hadn't looked at him and frowned, some sort of odd glimmer in their own eyes. 

The shapechanged dragon gave the robed man a firm look of his own. This human rang somewhat differently than most of the others did to him. He realized then that the scent of magic hovered over him. 

_A mage of some kind. A skilled one, if his age is anything to tell._ And a wizard's sight could at least notice the use of other magic, even a dragon's magic. 

Mizael did not let his steps falter at all, but continued on his way. The city had no laws against transformed dragons walking their streets, and he'd paid for all of his purchases fairly, if only to avoid accusations of theft that would've been more annoying than anything else. 

He could feel the other's eyes on him still but did not look back. If someone wanted to trail him to his lair, they would learn why that was a very bad idea in short order. Their city was their city and he respected their laws on their ground. But his lair was _his_ lair, and there _his_ laws ruled. 

And his law was that no one intruded upon his lair and the punishment for breaking that law was severe indeed. 

The farther he moved away from the city, however, the less the feeling of being watched grew, until it faded away entirely. Mizael still did not relax. Humans, especially magical ones, could not always be trusted, and he did not forget that Vector suspected those who used magic for their arts for this whole 'tribute to the dragon' disaster. 

So far as he could tell, there hadn't been any unwanted intrusions in the lair since he left it. That put him in a somewhat better mood. He always preferred returning home to find everything as he'd left it. 

“You're back!” Vector looked genuinely happy to see him and Mizael could not deny a small spark of pleasure at the sight of the orange-haired human himself. 

“Here.” He tossed both the clothes and the bag of apples toward his unasked for guest. “There's no rush to change; we shouldn't go back there until tomorrow anyway.” 

Vector caught the packages and pulled the apples out, blinking at them. “Apples?” 

“You need to eat.” Mizael moved over to take a perch on his preferred pile of rocks. “I'll need to hunt later myself.” Shapechanging took a great deal out of him, especially the longer that he was in the other shape. Given what they would have to do in the near future, he needed to make certain he was well stoked for the days to come. 

Vector crunched into the apple, setting the clothes to one side. “Did you find out anything interesting?” 

“Your father claims that you planned to betray him in some fashion. No one seemed to know the details on it, however. At least no one that I could hear.” 

Mizael wasn't the best study of human facial expression, but he thought that Vector looked more than a little startled at that. He got himself as comfortable as he could, trying to decide where he should go hunting. He didn't want it to be anywhere too close to the city. Staying out of their sight was the best idea he could think of at the moment. 

“I would never!” Vector shook his head, hand with the apple dropping as he did. “Why would I even _want_ to?” 

“I don't know. But perhaps we can ask the mages that. I think one of them realized I was there.” He told of the brief encounter, and once again Vector stared at him. 

“Is it safe to stay here?” 

Mizael shrugged. “I think it should be for you. I'm going to go out again tonight.” At the strange look the prince sent him, Mizael shrugged once more. “I need to get something to eat. I don't think you'd be a suitable meal even if I wanted to eat you.” 

Vector frowned, as if not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not, but then shrugged and returned to eating his apple. 

“It's the mages,” he murmured after a few moments, staring at the apple core as if it held the answers he searched for. “It has to be. They're doing something to Father. Why else would he even _think_ that I wanted to overthrow him?” He shook his head a little. “But I don't know why they'd want to get rid of me.” 

“I'll leave the lair shielded. There aren't many human mages who can break through a dragon's shield. So if they turn up while I'm gone, they can't try to explain it to you in person.” 

“But I -” Vector broke off and stared at the dragon as what Mizael meant sank into him. “Do you really think they'd come out here to kill me?” 

“Why not?” Mizael leaped to his feet, having prepared the shield in the few minutes he'd rested there. “They did once before, even if they sent you along with treasure and guards. This would just be finishing the job to them.” 

Vector took a long, deep breath and nodded. Mizael moved closer to the lair entryway. 

“I should be back by midnight. Dawn at the latest.” And with that, he shifted to his true form, slipped out of the lair, stretched his wings, and took off into the skies. 

**To Be Continued**


	5. Decision

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal  
 **Title:** Ring The Dinner Bell: Chapter 5: Decision  
 **Romance:** Mizael x Vector  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,601||story: 7,991  
 **Genre:** Romance, Fantasy|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Challenge, section I, #12, a multichap with exactly 10 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, Mizael x Vector, prompt #30, dinner  
 **Notes:** This is an AU with princes, magic, knights, dragons, flying horses, and other such things. But no dueling with cards.  
 **Summary:** Dragons devour virgins and keep princesses captive. At least, that's what the legends say, and when a dragon arrives in good Prince Vector's kingdom, the prince finds that his father knows a lot about legends. But maybe he can learn a little something about dragons?

* * *

Vector stared out the lair exit for a few minutes, still in the middle of getting his head wrapped around what Mizael told him. His father – the mages had convinced him that Vector wanted to get rid of him? But _why_? What was in it for them? What could they possibly gain? They had no way to rule the city even if he wasn't there. None of this made a shred of sense, and he feared for his people if this kept going. 

He started on the second apple, a warm little glow in the middle of his chest, sparked by the fact Mizael thought to get him food. It wasn't much food, and he'd probably do well to get more when they went back to the city, just in case, but Mizael had indeed thought of him. 

His thoughts returned to the whole situation in the city and with his father and the mages. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something he was missing, and that would probably make everything so much clearer. 

_Father's never been all that fond of the mages. Is that what they have in mind? Having some kind of control over him?_

That had potential, but it still didn't feel as if it fit everything. He suspected that was because he really didn't know everything. If it _was_ what they had in mind, then he didn't know why and without that reason, he couldn't see the whole picture. 

There was one tiny little spark of interest in all of this, though. If the mages hadn't started their plans, then he wouldn't have met Mizael. Despite having done so for only a few hours, and despite the other being a _dragon_ , Vector didn't think he wanted to go on without knowing him. 

Mizael was a fascinating conundrum all on his own, powerful and elegant and amazingly beautiful in his human form, and not exactly hideous as a dragon, either. Though being human-shaped made it easier to look at him and not think about being eaten. The dragon form inspired dragonfear and Vector didn't yet know how to deal with that. 

Dragonfear would make dealing with everyone in the city a little more interesting, too. He didn't want Mizael to terrify all of his people, not at all. But the mages? Those he would gladly see cowering back from his new friend. 

He would have to talk to Mizael about that, once he got back from hunting. They needed to talk about what they did in general anyway. 

Vector caught himself yawning and frowned. He needed somewhere to get some sleep, and while he could manage sitting on rocks for a while, he needed something much softer to sleep on. 

His father would've probably called him 'soft' for wanting a mattress instead of rocks, but while Vector respected his father, he would gladly be called 'soft' if he could get a proper bed. 

Unfortunately, without Mizael around, he had no idea of where he could find a good bed, and he didn't know how much longer it would be until the dragon returned. 

Until then, he made himself as comfortable as he could on the rocks and closed his eyes. 

* * *

He didn't know how long he'd slept or dozed or whatever before Mizael landed back outside. The moment that he heard the scrape of claw on stone, Vector opened his eyes and looked up. The dragon slithered inside, gave him a long and appraising look, and then somehow _twisted_ and _bent_ and Vector closed his eyes, rubbing them. 

“Why are you sleeping there?” Mizael asked, and Vector looked again to see that beautiful human standing there. He wondered if Mizael had any control over how he looked as a human, and if he did, why he'd chosen such a shape. 

_It inspires as much awe in its own way as being a dragon does._ Though perhaps not the kind of awe that the dragon would want from humans. 

Vector shook the thoughts out of his head and focused on the question. “Where else would I sleep? Do you have anything other than rocks?” He tried not to sound annoyed by it, but he couldn't help the small sparks of annoyance no matter how hard he tried. 

Mizael's lips quirked up and he gestured for Vector to follow him. The prince hadn't gone beyond the large first room of the lair, not wanting to intrude where he wasn't wanted. He found now that a corridor, wide enough for a dragon, led off the first room, and to a series of other rooms, not all of which _were_ that large. 

“What is this?” 

Mizael led him to one of the doors and stopped. “I haven't been here long enough to set up a proper holding for my hoard, but this will do. I keep some of what I can't use for myself here.” 

That didn't sound as if it completely answered Vector's question, but when Mizael waved the door open, all other thoughts vanished. The room wasn't all that large, but what it did have was a pile of soft cushions and rugs. Not at all the large, plush bed that he remembered from the palace, but it was soft and flat, and it was exactly what Vector wanted right now. 

“Thank you,” he breathed, before heading in to lay down. Still not quite as comfortable as his bed at home, but that didn't stop him from closing his eyes and going right to sleep. 

Vector seldom paid attention to his dreams, save as a means of entertainment, but tonight his mind filled with images of dragons, flying, and a pair of eyes as bright as the summer sky. 

* * *

Mizael returned to the main room of his lair, whispers of thought sliding through his mind. He'd had a good hunt, which always put him in a good mood, and that was improved by the fact he hadn't scented any mages in the area when he'd returned. 

They would be there, sooner or later. Nothing had happened to change his opinion on that. He'd taken his shield down for now; he wouldn't need it while he was here in person. And he could think of nothing that any human mage could do that he could not handle on his own. 

He berated himself for a few moments for not having realized that Vector would need something to sleep on that wasn't a pile of rocks or gold. Humans needed soft things. That had always intrigued him, and he'd tried resting on his collection of soft blankets and rugs in human form a time or two. His rest never felt quite the same as when he curled up on his hoard. Perhaps it had to do with being a dragon, no matter what shape his flesh bore. 

Putting that to the side, he made himself comfortable, his hoard visible here to his eyes alone. He'd crafted a pathway through it that humans could follow to get to the deeper parts of the lair, originally for his own convenience, but which now came in handy since he had a guest of sorts. 

_Only until we get this sorted out in his city._ He would have to find more food for Vector. Humans weren't like dragons and couldn't go for days on the substance of a couple of cows or a half dozen deer. _I should've brought him something tonight._ He could've cooked it beforehand with a single breath of fire and not had to worry about other predators getting close. 

But it wouldn't take that long to handle matters in the city, either. Dragons were not especially noted for their patience, and Mizael was not dissimilar from his brethren in that respect. 

He rested his snout on his forepaws and closed his eyes. Tomorrow could not come soon enough. 

* * *

“The dragon didn't eat him?” 

“I'm afraid not, sir. I suppose we should've expected this. He didn't eat any of the others.” 

“What sort of dragon is this?” Contempt flavored those words and a well-muscled fist clenched. “I thought dragons would eat anything.” 

A cowled form bowed low. “I cannot say. I only know that the prince is indeed in the dragon's lair and the dragon came to town for something. Our young brother saw him.” 

Dark eyes turned up to the ceiling, a low and annoyed growl sliding between his lips. “I've gone to too much trouble for Vector not to die.” 

Again the other bowed. “We can see to it, my lord. We have done so before, after all.” 

“Yes, but Vector isn't like those foolish others. And the dragon is protecting him instead of leaving him there. You did notice that, didn't you, mage?” More contempt, harsher and colder, seasoned his tone. 

The mage did not rise from his bow. “I did, my lord. We will have to deal with the dragon, yes, but that is not as difficult as one might think. Dragons are not as all-powerful as the legends would say.” 

Silence fell between them for a few tense moments before the other spoke again. “Do what you must. But make certain that no one sees the prince. I've gone to too much trouble ensuring everyone knows of his 'treachery' to have that go to waste.” 

“As you wish, my lord,” the mage agreed, rising and beginning to step backward. “We will have them both here before tomorrow's sunset.” 

“And I'll have a place ready for them.” The second man smiled. His plans were not ruined. Not yet. And he would see to it that they weren't. 

**To Be Continued**


	6. Dream

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal  
 **Title:** Ring The Dinner Bell: Chapter 6: Dream  
 **Romance:** Mizael x Vector  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,570||story: 9,561  
 **Genre:** Romance, Fantasy|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Challenge, section I, #12, a multichap with exactly 10 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, Mizael x Vector, prompt #30, dinner  
 **Notes:** This is an AU with princes, magic, knights, dragons, flying horses, and other such things. But no dueling with cards.  
 **Summary:** Dragons devour virgins and keep princesses captive. At least, that's what the legends say, and when a dragon arrives in good Prince Vector's kingdom, the prince finds that his father knows a lot about legends. But maybe he can learn a little something about dragons?

* * *

_All around him they moved, tall figures robed in shadows, eyes of flame-scarlet peering down at him. Laughter sounded from everywhere and nowhere, far too familiar and a sound he hadn't expected to hear here, if anywhere else, ever again._

He tried to move but his limbs refused to obey him. He tried harder, but still to no avail, straining until sweat coursed down his forehead and stung into his eyes. 

No chains bound him, no restraints of any kind, and yet he could not move. He shook his head, hair slapping against his skin, heart pounding faster with each passing moment. 

“Where is he? Where's Mizael?” The dragon should've been there. Vector knew he should, but there was no sign of either golden scales or golden hair. 

“You mean this?” One of those figures stepped closer and held up something. Vector could not see it at first, until blinding light broke over him, and when he saw, he screamed, trying once more to throw himself away. He didn't want to see anymore. 

A dragon's head… 

A dragon with golden scales. 

The one who held it raised it even higher and that far too familiar laughter echoed all around. 

“We've triumphed! The evil beast is no more!” His father's eyes turned down toward him, a cruel tilt to his lips. Vector had seen that far far too often, when the king passed judgment on those who'd transgressed the laws. “And it was all thanks to you, my dear son. You gave him to us, our lawful prey.” 

Words choked in Vector's throat. He wanted to deny it all, but images that had never happened, that he did not remember happening, flickered before him. Holding Mizael close in a warm embrace. Keeping him still while his father's warriors crept in closer. A collar locked around the shapechanged dragon's neck, keeping him from resuming his true form. 

Mizael, screaming in pain as he was tortured, for no reason other than being a dragon. 

Mizael, drained of his power, forcibly returned to his dragon shape, but unable to fly or fight. 

And then...Vector himself… axe rising high… 

Vector nearly threw himself out of the bed, eyes wide, soaked in sweat, heart pounding so hard he wondered that it didn't echo off the walls around him. 

_A...a...a nightmare?_

Yes. That was all that it was. A silly, meaningless dream that would fade away in morning's light. 

Yet his mouth remained parched and it was all he could do to bring himself to his feet, his hands shaking and unable to close his eyes without seeing those images all over again. 

Was he just worried over what could happen? It couldn't be that bad, could it? 

He recalled seeing a small stream not that far from the cave mouth and decided that he needed a drink of water. Mizael wouldn't mind, and it was clearly still too late for any strangers to be wandering in the area. 

He moved carefully, passing through the large cave where Mizael slept, staying as quiet as he could. 

_Better not wake him up. He could use his rest._ Vector did take a few moments to admire the long, sleek golden beauty and to wonder what it might be like to feel those arms around him, as he had in the dream. _No. That isn't going to happen._

He didn't know if he meant Mizael holding him or his father's warriors taking the dragon prisoner, but if the one meant the other, then he would gladly go without. 

The sooner this whole farce had been dealt with, the better, he decided. He would need to get things sorted at the palace and return there. Then Mizael could do as he pleased. 

_He'll want to leave._ Vector didn't like the idea but he would not stop the dragon. It would probably be for the best, anyway. 

That didn't mean there wasn't a tiny shard of displeasure at the thought. But he wouldn't hold Mizael anywhere that the dragon didn't want to be held. 

Still taking each step with extreme care, Vector made his way out to the stream and looked for something to hold water in. He almost smacked himself when he realized there weren't any cups around here and he would have to make do some other way. 

_Mizael would laugh at me for this._ Just as well the dragon slept and wouldn't even know he'd left the cave. 

“Forget something, your highness?” Many levels of amusement layered the dragon's human voice. Vector sagged back onto his heels and didn't bother to look behind himself. “Oh, don't forget to drink on my account.” 

Vector ground his teeth for a moment. He'd never drunk out of anything that wasn't a cup or a goblet in his life. He didn't even know how it could be done. He knew it could; not everyone had his advantages. But _he'd_ never done it. 

“I don't suppose you have anything that could help?” He asked, still not looking toward Mizael. 

“Not with me, no,” Mizael replied easily. Vector pressed his lips together and stared at the stream for a few moments before he pushed himself forward and scooped up a handful of water. 

It wasn't the most elegant way to take a drink, but he couldn't think of anything else, and he _needed_ it. He managed to get enough handfuls down to slake his thirst and wipe off the sweat that still stuck his clothes to him. Once he'd taken care of that, he decided that looking at Mizael couldn't be that bad. 

Seeing the dragon there after that dream shocked him on a few small levels. He remembered what he'd seen so very vividly, but to see Mizael alive and unharmed seemed to push the dream a little farther away. 

“You had a nightmare, didn't you?” Mizael asked, leaning forward, sniffing at the air. Vector blinked at him. 

“What are you doing?” 

“I can smell the fear on you still. Was it bad?” The dragon almost seemed compassionate in some way. Vector turned his gaze away. 

“I've had worse ones.” Not that many, but some. He fiddled with a handful of pebbles scooped up from the side of the stream. “Tomorrow we go to the city.” 

They'd already decided that but Vector wanted nothing at all to flag his determination. He wanted this settled and done. Those who'd toyed with his father, urging him to do these horrible things, would be dealt with, once and for all. If that meant Mizael ate them, then Vector didn't think he cared. They were already guilty; he knew that just by the fact his father believed that he would ever want to try to take over the throne before his time in the first place. 

Vector did not always like that being the monarch meant that someone could decide guilt or innocence at a whim, but there were cases where such could be _extremely_ useful. 

Mizael raised his head, sniffing once more, but this time into the breeze. “Someone's coming,” he said, breathing in deeply. 

Vector couldn't move, the horrid memory of his dream sinking claws of dread into him. His throat closed up and he did what he could to totter to his feet. At least this time he could do that, wasn't frozen as he'd been in the dream. 

“Not warriors,” Mizael mused, more interested in finding out what was going on than in whatever was going through Vector's mind. “There are several of them.” A frown formed between his eyebrows. Whatever he might've suggested, Vector interrupted. 

“I think they might belong to the city.” It didn't matter that they weren't warriors. They could be in disguise, unarmored, or it could be something else altogether. 

Mizael bared his teeth; such a sight wasn't even close to a smile and Vector didn't pretend it could have ever been. He started to lurch forward, to do what he didn't know, and all of his muscles did freeze. He didn't fall, though, and this time he recognized what the reason was: a spell. 

Vector had never bothered himself with much magic, but he knew the effects and had seen the mages doing this in the royal court. Feeling it on himself was another matter altogether. At least it could be used on Mizael. Magic did not affect dragons as it did humans. 

A soft, harsh cry of pain told him that they had something that could affect Mizael, however, and the far too clear memory of that dream rushed back in thick and choking clarity. He managed to jerk his head upward the tiniest bit, enough to show him what he wanted to see. 

No. Not wanted, but needed. Because he would never, ever have wanted to see Mizael with an iron collar around his human neck, with a half-dozen mages circling him, winding him with ropes that hummed and glowed with binding enchantments. 

Another robed mage stepped from just out of sight, coming over to Vector. “Greetings, highness,” he said, satisfaction lacing his tone. “I should congratulate you for successfully distracting the beast while we corralled it.” 

Vector's eyes widened. He couldn't see Mizael very clearly now, but the thought of betrayal in those sky-blue eyes terrified him. The mage smiled more, as if reading the prince's thoughts. 

“Now, it's time for us to go home. Your father wants to see both of you very, very much.” 

**To Be Continued**


	7. Dungeon

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal  
 **Title:** Ring The Dinner Bell: Chapter 7: Dungeon  
 **Romance:** Mizael x Vector  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,627||story: 11,188  
 **Genre:** Romance, Fantasy|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Challenge, section I, #12, a multichap with exactly 10 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, Mizael x Vector, prompt #30, dinner  
 **Notes:** This is an AU with princes, magic, knights, dragons, flying horses, and other such things. But no dueling with cards.  
 **Summary:** Dragons devour virgins and keep princesses captive. At least, that's what the legends say, and when a dragon arrives in good Prince Vector's kingdom, the prince finds that his father knows a lot about legends. But maybe he can learn a little something about dragons?

* * *

Over and over Mizael strained at the chains that held him tight, with the same result every time: no result at all. Nothing he did could even get them to loosen by so much as a whisker's breadth. The one held the end of the chain tugged him alone and Mizael had no choice but to follow. All of his powers and strength remained blocked from him, due to that damnable collar around his neck. 

He didn't believe a word the mage had said to Vector about 'distracting the beast'. Vector hadn't had any more idea than he did that they were coming, and the sheltered prince had no more idea of how to bind his powers that he did of how to sprout his own wings and fly. 

Vector himself walked along with the mages, but there was a stunned silent quality to him that kept him as bound and helpless as Mizael himself was. The dragon didn't know if it was magic or shock, but regardless, they could not escape at the moment. 

At the moment. But Mizael absolutely refused to stay trapped forever and when he found a way to return to his true form, he would wreak his vengeance on all of those who thought they could tame a dragon. 

* * *

Mages were not known for their physical endurance, but this batch seemed to have put in a few extra hours in working out, as they didn't stop once on the trip back to the city. They cared nothing for how tired their captives might've been, dragging Mizael onward no matter what. Vector said nothing at all the whole time, his mind too distracted and confused to do anything. 

_Father wants to see me? What does he have to do with any of this?_ Though this did prove at least part of what he and Mizael speculated on before: the mages were involved. Now he needed to find out just how and why, and how to stop them. 

_Sounds so easy, doesn't it? Perhaps if I ask nicely, they'll all just disappear._ He snarled under his breath. _When I'm king, those mages will be banished._ He couldn't trust them. At the moment, the only being he knew for a fact that he could trust was Mizael. Having a chained dragon as his only ally didn't put him in the strongest of positions, but he would make do with what he had. 

Dawn began to color the horizon with streaks of red and gold before they passed through the palace gates and made their way through the hallways which were as familiar to Vector as the blood in his veins. He couldn't see Mizael from where he walked since the dragon remained in the back of the little party. 

He expected they would be brought to the throne room; certainly the mages would wish to make a spectacle of the captured dragon? To his surprise, they headed downward, leaving behind the well-furnished hallways and carpeted floors for cold gray stone above, below, and around. Torches flickered dismally, hung in their places along the hall, giving just enough light for the group to see by and no more. 

Now Vector wondered if one or both of them was to be imprisoned down here. 

He'd never investigated how strong the locks on the doors were. Now he found himself wondering if they could be broken. Not that long ago he would've hoped not. Anyone imprisoned here surely deserved to remain where they were. 

But again he found himself surprised, as they were brought to a large room, with several sets of manacles hanging from the walls. The mages dragged Mizael over to one of those sets, untying him just enough so they could clamp the manacles around his wrists. Whispered words gave these new bonds the same subtle glow that the chains had, keeping him from being able to snap them. 

“My son.” A voice he knew even better than his own blood spoke and Vector turned to see his father standing in a doorway he hadn't seen before. “I did not expect to see you again. Especially not in such foul company.” He turned his gaze onto Mizael, who looked back at him with his head held high. The king stepped closer, wrapping his fingers around the dragon's chin and tilting it upward. “Though I will say that if he were truly human, he would be a very toothsome plaything.” 

Mizael jerked his head away, bringing his head down at a sharp angle, teeth clamping onto the king's hand and biting down. He might not have had the strength he did in his dragon form, but Vector saw blood flow as the king backhanded him. 

“I am a _dragon_. I am no one's _plaything_ , least of all a human's!” Mizael growled, apparently unaware of the trickle of blood that slid down his chin. 

The king's smile wasn't a pleasant thing to see. Vector had seen him smile like that before, usually when he was going to sentence someone to death. 

“Father, _what is going on_?” Vector shouted, half-way because he wanted to know and half-way to distract his father from doing anything permanent to Mizael. “I don't understand any of this, and I want to.” 

The king turned toward him, though Vector knew far better than to hope that he'd forgotten Mizael. “Isn't it obvious, my dear stupid son? I want to kill you. This beast should've done the deed, but apparently you're not even worth a dragon's appetite.” 

“Dragons don't eat humans. At least _I_ don't,” Mizael snapped. The king glanced toward the mages. 

“Silence him. Beasts have no right to speak at all, let alone in my presence.” 

Vector started to move forward himself, but could get no more than a pace or two along before invisible chains locked all around him. He could only watch as the one he'd mentally dubbed the chief mage moved toward Mizael, chanting over a gemstone he now held between his fingers. 

“What do you think you're -” Mizael's words cut off as the mage slammed the gemstone into the collar, and a flash of crystal blue light filled the chamber. His lips continued to move, but no sound at all came from them. 

Vector's father nodded in approval. “Well done. He could be useful later, once properly trained.” A smile that spoke of shadows and death slashed across his lips. “I think the threat of my pet dragon devouring all of their warriors should bring _several_ of my enemies into line.” 

Vector shook his head to the point he thought it would fall off. “Father!” A thousand protests choked in his throat. Mizael wasn't the sort of creature that could or should be put to that use. Weren't his father's attempts to conquer other lands with an ordinary army enough? How were the mages involved in all of this? All of that and more he wanted to scream, but none of them could make their way out of his mouth, not with the magic clamping down on him the way that it did. 

The king now moved toward Vector, his lip curled in distaste. “And what to do with you. You have been annoying. I gave you the option of dying with some dignity, but you refused to do even that. Even knowing that the people believe you to seek _my_ death before your 'untimely demise' wasn't enough, was it?” 

Vector kept on shaking his head. The king didn't notice at all, but kept on. “I don't think the people need to know that you're alive. You won't be for that much longer anyway.” He cast a glance toward Mizeal, then back to Vector. “I believe you two were growing quite close to one another. Fitting, then, that one of you should finish the other.” 

The magic didn't need to hold Vector still then. He couldn't have moved if he'd wanted to. 

“Think on this, my dear son. You don't want me to break and train this beast. And I'm quite certain he doesn't want me to kill you.” The king looked from one of them to the other. “So here is the arrangement. Kill the beast yourself. If you do that, I will spare your life and send you into exile to last all the days of my life. You will return here only when I am dead. I will even allow you to assume the throne after me in that case.” He leaned forward. “But if you choose otherwise, then you will watch me tame the beast and within one moon's time, you _will_ be eaten by him.” 

Still words failed Vector. The king turned toward the door. “I give you one day and one night to make your decision. If you choose not to kill him, his training will begin at that moment.” He gestured toward the mages. “Put him in the cell.” 

A third door proved to lead deeper into the dungeons. The mages didn't take Vector very far along it before pushing him into one of the cells. The state of the locks didn't matter here; magic kept them sealed far beyond what any metal would have. The cell had very little in it aside from a pile of moldy hay and a bench that looked as if it would fall apart if someone looked at it too hard. 

Vector leaned against the wall. He could feel the magic that had held him before fading now, no longer necessary. 

_My father wants me to either kill the only being who is close to being a friend, or to spare him and see him in a slavery worse than anything anyone in the entire kingdom's ever endured._

Vector ground his teeth together. _Mizael..._

**To Be Continued**


	8. Deviance

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal  
 **Title:** Ring The Dinner Bell: Chapter 8: Deviation  
 **Romance:** Mizael x Vector  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,615||story: 12,803  
 **Genre:** Romance, Fantasy|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Challenge, section I, #12, a multichap with exactly 10 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, Mizael x Vector, prompt #30, dinner  
 **Notes:** This is an AU with princes, magic, knights, dragons, flying horses, and other such things. But no dueling with cards.  
 **Summary:** Dragons devour virgins and keep princesses captive. At least, that's what the legends say, and when a dragon arrives in good Prince Vector's kingdom, the prince finds that his father knows a lot about legends. But maybe he can learn a little something about dragons?

* * *

**Vector. Prince Vector.**

Vector's head snapped up. “Who said that?” He was not at all in the mood for games. He didn't know how long he'd been in here, but he knew that his time to make his decision had to be soon, and he was no closer to making it now than he had been when he'd been thrown in here. 

**Prince Vector.** From beneath his feet, runes that he hadn't seen before, half-covered in straw and dust, began to glow a strange, sickly reddish-brown. Vector stumbled back, but with the cell being as small as it was, he had little room to move in. 

“Who are you?” This was the very last thing he needed, some kind of _thing_ wanting to eat him while he agonized over how to save Mizael and himself. 

**Prince Vector.**

Vector drew breath to tell whoever it was that _he_ was Prince Vector, but all the words died when a warm hand pressed itself against his throat. The hand was larger than Mizael's, larger than his own, the fingers strong and slowly tightening enough to cut off Vector's air. 

Vector's eyes followed the hand and the arm it was attached to, then tilted upward to see a tall being standing before him. His mind scrambled to comprehend what he was seeing; the creature looked vaguely human, not at all like when Mizael assumed human form, but in the sense of having two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head. The face wasn't very well defined, save for glowing scarlet eyes. Most of the form gleamed a strange sort of black, with red streaks on the arms and legs. 

He still couldn't speak, but the creature – the demon, that was all that it could be – had no such trouble. 

**You wish to save your friend, Prince Vector. I can make it happen.** Lips parted into something that Vector thought was meant to stand as a smile. He'd never felt less like smiling, even if he hadn't had the choice that hung over his head. **Without having to kill your pretty dragon or see him on your father's leash.**

Vector tried to say something else but the demon's hand didn't move from his throat. 

**That is what you want, isn't it? To save him. To not have to deal with this.**

Images burst into Vector's mind, clear as if he lived them. Mizael, in his human form, knelt before the king. He lifted his head and Vector saw those luminescent blue eyes now dark and dulled, no defiance at all in them. Even through the veil of Mizael's hair, Vector saw scarring on his back and sides. A tiny spark of pride lit from that, painful as it was to see. Clearly Mizael hadn't broken easily. 

The image shifted, and now Mizael in his dragon form carried the king through the skies, belching out fire from his mouth. Vector recognized the capital city of one of their neighbors, now lit aflame, the people running heedlessly in their terror, and his father's laughter echoing over all. 

Another image; this one of dark city streets: the streets of this city. He saw himself there now, dressed in rags, stumbling through the night. The image of himself stopped when a dragon's roar split the air, and a heartbeat later, Mizael, once more in human form, stood only paces away from him. 

Vector could not hear his own voice, but he recognized the shape of his own lips as his vision-form called for Mizael. The dragon made no response, save to pull Vector out into the open. Vector of the vision tried to pull away, but he'd clearly missed too many meals and too much rest to make a proper escape. 

The dragon had missed no meals at all. And he did not miss this one either. 

The last thing Vector saw was his father standing behind Mizael, pride in dominating such a great creature in his eyes. 

When he could see clearly again, the demon still stood before him, keeping him in place with one hand. **Would you see more? See what other horrors await if you spare his life?**

Vector could only shake his head. He couldn't do that to Mizael. But he couldn't kill him either. He didn't even want to know what he would see for that course of events. 

Again the demon smiled. **You need not worry. I can save you from both those paths. All you have to do is agree to help me.**

Now Vector could speak. His voice wasn't all that loud, but he wasn't going to complain. He didn't want anyone peeking in here and finding out what was going on. Not that he knew what was going on. 

“Help you with what?” Despite the question, the thought of being able to save Mizael and save all the innocent people that his father hadn't killed yet teased and tugged at his desires. But to ally with a demon to do it? 

The more often Vector saw it, the less like a smile that expression became. **Only a few things here and there. Nothing that you don't agree to. If you don't want to do something, you don't have to.**

Vector didn't have much experience in dealing with demons. What he mainly recalled from his lessons involved knowing how they were summoned, so he would know if one was and know to avoid the area altogether. The runes called this one here, he realized now, and there had to have been human sacrifices in this cell, for the runes spoke of binding a demon that could only be summoned by the death of humans. 

**They are already dead, Prince Vector. Nothing you can do can save them. But you can still save your friend, if you move quickly enough. If you _choose_ quickly enough.**

Vector found it hard to get enough air in his lungs and he didn't think it was because of the hand that still wrapped around his neck. The image of Mizael so completely obeying his father's whims rose up in the back of his mind, sharp and clear and horrendous. He didn't want to think his father wouldn't do it. He knew that he _would_. 

Before he could shape a word, be it yes or no, the demon laughed, and a cascade of deep golden hair flowed into existence all around. It was longer and shimmered with a supernatural glow that Mizael's didn't, but there was no doubt of what it was meant to evoke. 

**Choose, young prince. Your time has nearly come to an end. Will you end your friend's life on your own blade? Or will you let him live, and suffer as your father's private plaything, used to spread fear and conquest all over the world? Or will you walk with me, and bring your own will to bear in all of this?**

Vector had lived his life wanting to bring peace to the kingdoms that remained in a state of war against his father. More than once he'd tried to broker ceasefires and peace agreements, and those few times he'd succeeded, his father always broke them and waged bloody war again and again. 

_It's for the good of the kingdom. And the good of Mizael. Father can't keep on like this._ He loved his father. But he couldn't let him keep on ruling. His history lessons told him that as well, that a monarch who would not care for their people did not deserve to remain in power. Someone, sooner or later, would kill his father. 

The choice Vector had in front of him was if he were that person, doing it for the greater good of the people, or someone else, doing it only for what power they might gain from it. 

Down the corridor came the sound of rattling chains and his father's voice. “It's time to see this taken care of.” He sounded so satisfied and that alone sent dark chills flowing through Vector's veins. 

**Your father is the one who called me here, Prince Vector. He expects you to deny me and then he can proclaim to all the land that you consorted with demons in a misguided attempt to claim the throne. People will cheer his taming of your dragon. They will rejoice at seeing him chained and enslaved, never to fly free again.**

Footsteps came toward the door. Vector did not dare take the chance that leaving the cell would mean he couldn't talk to the demon anymore. It might be bound in here. Which meant that he _had_ to make his choice. 

And now there was only one choice at all that he could make. 

“Yes,” he murmured, too low for the approaching people to hear, just enough so he wasn't whispering. “Yes, I'll do it.” 

Dark energy flared all around him, leaving strength and power in its wake. Vector looked down at himself automatically, and saw rock-like gray skin – or perhaps gray skin like rocks – instead of his normal tones. Something moved on his back and he looked to see wings there, ones that moved to his will. 

Now the footsteps hurried closer, and Vector realized that he no longer had a mouth. He didn't care. He smiled anyway, with his heart and his eyes and his fingers as he raised one hand and blew the door outward with nothing more than a gesture and a blast of energy. 

“Hello, father,” he said, stepping outside to see the mages and his father standing there. Some of them stood. His father was one of them. The rest had fallen backwards with his destruction of the door. “I've made my choice.” 

**To Be Continued**


	9. Destruction

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal  
 **Title:** Ring The Dinner Bell: Chapter 9: Destruction  
 **Romance:** Mizael x Vector  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,641||story: 14,444  
 **Genre:** Romance, Fantasy|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Challenge, section I, #12, a multichap with exactly 10 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, Mizael x Vector, prompt #30, dinner  
 **Notes:** This is an AU with princes, magic, knights, dragons, flying horses, and other such things. But no dueling with cards.  
 **Summary:** Dragons devour virgins and keep princesses captive. At least, that's what the legends say, and when a dragon arrives in good Prince Vector's kingdom, the prince finds that his father knows a lot about legends. But maybe he can learn a little something about dragons?

* * *

Vector tilted his head back and laughed at the expression on his father's face. Never before had he seen the old man looking _that_ surprised. 

_I guess he didn't expect to come for his son and find a demon instead._ He didn't know if he really was a demon or not. He could feel a demon's power flowing in his veins and he had to admit, while not at all what he was used to, it felt almost _right_. 

But he wasn't going to indulge himself in pointless mayhem. His mayhem needed a reason, and he had one: rescuing Mizael. And perhaps setting this whole mess to rights in a way he'd never thought of before. 

His father had proven himself completely unworthy of the throne. And that meant as prince and heir, he had but one task: to remove his father _from_ the throne. 

He laughed again, the sound echoing back from the stone walls, and strode through the empty hole where the cell door had been only moments earlier. 

“Do you like my choice, father?” he taunted, waving one hand and sending out a spiraling wave of destruction. His father stumbled back, trying to avoid the chunks of masonry that fell from the ceiling. The mages who came with him danced a pretty dance in their own efforts to avoid being squashed flat and Vector laughed at that too. Everything seemed so much more _amusing_ than it had only a few minutes earlier. 

That probably had something to do with the fact he was the one with all the power now. Nothing any of them could do could even come close to stopping him and he _liked that_. No more boundaries but the ones he chose for himself. Nothing else stopping him from doing what he wanted and what needed to be done. 

And today had started off so _horribly_ too. 

“Vector -” His father gasped out his name but Vector didn't care to hear it anymore. Not from him. 

“You tried to make me kill my only friend. You were going to _enslave_ him if I didn't. What makes you think I'm going to be _merciful_ anymore?” Mercy wasn't going to save Mizael. Mercy would only bring about a fate worse than death. Vector had had enough of that. 

No one was ever going to do anything like that in _his_ kingdom ever again. 

But that would come later. Right now, he had a very beautiful dragon to save. 

Funny, he'd always read that princes and knights saved kingdoms _from_ dragons instead of the other way around. But Vector wasn't that bothered by reversing the old stories. Those same stories painted mages as wise people who gave of their knowledge and skills to help others, not ones who spun webs of lies and did all they could to bring about death and ruin. 

He would have no more of them, either. 

With each step he took forward, his father scrambled backward, eyes widening in fear. Vector liked how that looked. He wanted to see more of it, to savor it. 

The thought that he'd never wanted to see his father terrified of him vaguely flashed through his mind, there and gone again in less time than a breath takes to draw. He hadn't wanted it before. He wanted it now. And he could have all that he wanted of it. 

At least until he killed his father. And he knew full well that he would do so. That was the only end this could have. 

“It's only an animal, my son, my prince! It doesn't deserve your attention!” The king babbled, closer now to the room where Vector had last seen Mizael. “You are a true son to me, I can see that now. We can work together. This kingdom will be yours one day!” 

Vector could not smile. Oh, but he wanted to, and it seemed whatever shape his face took certainly conveyed that. “You're right on one of those. The kingdom will be mine one day. And that day is _today_. But as for the rest of it?” He shook his head with great and grave majesty. “No, father. Mizael is far more than an animal and I will never, ever work with you.” 

He laughed again, loving the sound of it. “Oh, Mizael? Can you hear me? Are you there? I've got a _lovely_ surprise for you!” 

For a moment he wondered what the dragon would think of his new look, and of what he'd done to save them both. Then he dismissed that thought as well. Mizael would be grateful. He had to be grateful. 

Other options weren't allowed to seep into his mind. 

The fact he didn't hear a reply didn't encourage Vector towards calming down at all. He gestured, knowing in his bones how to handle this new power, and watched as his father stumbled toward him, straining to resist but not having a shred of luck in doing so. This was Vector's show now, and he wanted to have a little chat. 

“What did you to do to Mizael?” There hadn't been any agreements to the tune of not harming the dragon until Vector made his choice. Earlier, Vector might well have thought that his father would behave himself. Now he knew better. He knew exactly how his father thought, even if he'd tried to deny it to himself for more years than he could count. Something had happened to Mizael and Vector wanted to know what. 

He could hardly exact a proper revenge if he didn't know the details. 

The only answer the king made was a somewhat garbled noise that made no sense at all. Vector gentled his will for a moment, just enough so that the king could say something coherent. 

“He's alive!” 

Of course he was. The king wanted Mizael's strength tamed to his hand, of course he wouldn't kill the dragon. Not unless Mizael proved untameable and Vector knew that wasn't true, sad as it might be. 

But that still didn't answer his question, not properly. “Tell me what you did to him and I won't do it all to you.” He might miss a few pieces of skin. Maybe. 

It took another twist of energy before the king managed to answer. His words were choked off and harsh, but he told Vector what they'd done, and a fire lit inside the prince's mind at the images painted by them. 

He dropped his father where he stood and stalked into the room, waving aside the guards and mages who attempted to come near him with a twitch of one hand. There, in the center of the room hung Mizael, still in human form, wearing nothing but the iron collar and his long golden hair, now damp with sweat, his back covered with the marks of beatings. 

At the sound of Vector's approach, Mizael lifted his head, and Vector's heart eased a little to see the fire that still burned there. With the image of the vision the demon had shown him only minutes past, he'd worried… 

But now he could see Mizael remained bloody but unbroken, and his heart leaped and capered in delight. 

“Mizeal,” he murmured, reaching out to touch the side of the other's face. The dragon blinked at his touch, then pulled his head away, eyes narrowing in distrust. 

Vector frowned – somehow – then realized what the problem was. “It's me, Vector!” He liked how that sounded. He would have to keep that in mind. He eyed the collar; that would have to go. It really didn't go with Mizael's coloring at all. 

Perhaps something in gold would be better… 

No. No collars at all, not for Mizael, who'd spared his life when he could've eaten him and brought him food and clothes and done all that he could to help a confused prince try to figure out why his world changed so suddenly. 

He dug his talons underneath the collar, feeling the magic of it as he did. Binding magic; the gemstone kept Mizael from speaking and the collar itself kept him from changing shape or using those draconic abilities that he still had in this human form. So long as he wore it, he could never be himself. 

So it _had to go_. 

A surge of energy through his fingers and into the collar, one quick jerk that he hoped didn't leave any marks on Mizael, and the offending creation shattered. Mizael drew in a deep, gasping breath, shoulders shaking, before he shook his head and stared at Vector. 

“Vector? What happened to you?” He breathed again, his eyes narrowed this time, and began to squirm in his restraints. “Why do you smell like a demon?” 

“That's a long story,” Vector told him, reaching to get rid of the chains. He snapped through them as if they were little more than half-melted butter and Mizael dropped to the ground, rubbing on his wrists before he stood up. “But now I would like to kill my father and get this kingdom sorted out. Would you care to help?” 

Mizael gave him a long, steady, measuring look. Vector couldn't read all of his expressions, even now, but he had a feeling that Mizael would like to have a very long talk at some point in the very near future. 

Vector was fine with that. As long as it happened after his father's funeral. Assuming that he bothered to give him one. He hadn't made his mind up on that as of yet. 

Then Mizael flexed his fingers much as if they were his talons and smiled a dragon's smile. “As a matter of fact, I would.” 

And the dragon and the demon turned on those who had brought all of this upon themselves and the screams did not stop for a very long time. 

**To Be Continued**

**Note:** Next chapter is the last one.


	10. Departure

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal  
 **Title:** Ring The Dinner Bell: Chapter 10: Departure  
 **Romance:** Mizael x Vector  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,596||story: 16,040  
 **Genre:** Romance, Fantasy|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Challenge, section I, #12, a multichap with exactly 10 chapters; One Ship Boot Camp, Mizael x Vector, prompt #30, dinner  
 **Notes:** This is an AU with princes, magic, knights, dragons, flying horses, and other such things. But no dueling with cards.  
 **Summary:** Dragons devour virgins and keep princesses captive. At least, that's what the legends say, and when a dragon arrives in good Prince Vector's kingdom, the prince finds that his father knows a lot about legends. But maybe he can learn a little something about dragons?

* * *

A deathly silence hung over the castle. There were still people alive within it, but none of those survivors dared to make a move against the two who'd brought down such thorough vengeance against their tormentors. Some few even recognized their prince, somehow alive, if unbelievably changed, and would not raise a hand against him no matter what. Vector took note of those. They would bear watching in the future. 

But now, he and Mizael stood together on the castle battlements, looking out at the rising sun. He had no idea of how much time had passed. Apparently having the powers of a demon didn't include any kind of an internal clock. But he was fine with that. The powers he did have were enough for him. 

Slowly he flexed one rock-like hand and wondered if he could become his old self again. While this form held a great deal of power, he didn't want to stay like that forever. There were too many things that he wasn't certain if he could do like this. 

“I'm going to leave,” Mizael said suddenly. Vector jerked his head toward his companion, eyes narrowing. 

“What?” A wealth of confusion hid within that single word. How could Mizael do this? _Why_ would he do this? 

Mizael did not look at him and that only confused Vector even more. “There are too many humans here who think of a dragon as a creature to be killed or tamed to fight their wars for them.” He spat the words out with a thick coating of hatred. 

Vector started to shake his head. He wouldn't let that happen to Mizael. They'd killed virtually everyone who would have tried anything like that here anyway! 

Before he could open his mouth to say that out loud, Mizael kept on. “You have enough to do putting your kingdom back together. And I'm a dragon: I don't live well within walls.” 

Vector bit his lip, chopping the words off before they could try to escape him once more. He chose something else to say instead. “Will you visit?” He did not think he could live the rest of his life without seeing Mizael again. In the short time that they'd known one another, the dragon had carved himself a place within the prince. 

“Eventually.” Mizael's lips turned a tiny fraction upward. “Perhaps then we can find out if those wings of yours work like proper wings should.” 

Vector dropped a glance behind him at the gray appendages that hung from his shoulders. He twitched them a little, shivering at the feel of the air against them. “I think they do?” 

“Then learn how to fly and meet me up there.” Mizael gestured toward the sky and the scarlet-touched clouds of morning. “Can you?” 

Vector twitched his wings again. They didn't _look_ large enough to carry him, not like Mizael's impressive wingspan. But perhaps demons didn't go by mortal rules, because he thought that he could. He wanted to try. “I'll find out.” 

Mizael nodded his approval, gazing once more at the skies above. Long minutes passed before he spoke again. “Can you change back?” 

“I was wondering that myself. I haven't tried yet.” Vector didn't know if he wanted to. Would it mean that he couldn't fly if he became human again? 

**My power is yours, for so long as our bargain lasts,** the sleek, slippery voice of that demon whispered into his mind. **Know no fear, my dear prince. The skies will be yours. As will be anything else that you desire.**

Something else hovered behind those words, but Vector couldn't yet bring himself to think on what it was. Instead, he turned his attention toward what mattered most right now. He concentrated, flexing his hands once more, and a hiss of surprise uncurled from him as human skin replaced the rock. He breathed in harshly, stumbling as the weight of the stone skin fell away from him, and he suddenly had to readjust how he stood all over again. 

Mizael's hand touched his shoulder. Vector looked up into those fathomless blue eyes and found a smile on his lips that surprised him, both by the fact he was smiling and that he had lips once again. 

“I didn't mean for you to try right now,” Mizael said, stormclouds flickering in his eyes. “Are you all right?” 

“Yes.” Vector breathed in, stunned at how very different he felt. “I'm fine.” He wasn't certain of how to describe how he felt other than that. More than anything, he thought he needed a very long rest and as much food as he could cram into himself. Wreaking revenge took a serious toll on one. 

Mizael had said already that he had a great deal to do to put the kingdom in order again. That was nothing more nor less than the absolute truth. He would've loved having Mizael by his side to help with that. But he would not be his father: he would not keep Mizael where Mizael did not wish to be kept. 

**You can make him wish to stay with you,** the demon's voice murmured in Vector's ear. **It would be easy. I can show you.**

Vector pushed the voice away. Mizael wanted to go, and no matter how much that hurt, he would let him go. They'd see each other again anyway. Mizael promised. 

“If you're certain.” Mizael stared down at him and Vector straightened himself up and dusted himself off. 

“I am. It just takes some getting used to.” He still hadn't explained everything to Mizael about what had happened, saying only that he'd made a bargain to get the power necessary to stop his father and free Mizael. He hadn't lied. He just hadn't told Mizael everything. 

He wasn't certain of the full details of his bargain anyway. He didn't _fear_ the demon, but he wanted to make some points clear before much longer. He would tend to that once he'd done what he could to set matters in order in the castle first. 

Mizael's eyes reflected things Vector could not entirely read. The prince wondered if the dragon feared the demon that he'd become more than he wanted to say. Was that another reason that he wanted to leave? 

Small sparks of anger seethed underneath his skin until he could fight them back. Mizael was not like that. He didn't care for humans, but he just wasn't _like that_. Vector had done this to keep _Mizael_ safe anyway. Mizael would not hate him for this. He couldn't. 

“If you're all right, then it's time for me to go.” Mizael took a few steps backward, to where the battlements spread out a little wider. 

Vector wanted to say something else, to do more than just watch him go. He kept the words where they belonged, firmly behind his teeth. 

“I'll miss you,” he said instead. Those were every bit as true as anything else that he wanted to say, but ones he felt he _could_ say more than anything else. 

Mizael glanced at him. “I said I'd come visit.” A small hint of a smile curved his lips. “But you don't have to try to give me any virgins next time.” 

“I'll remember that.” Vector thought that was as close to a joke as the proud dragon would ever come to making. He had other thoughts in mind for what to get to welcome Mizael when he did return anyway. 

Mizael nodded, turning his gaze upward once again. The change took only the briefest of seconds, the moment of time between one heartbeat and the next, and then the great golden dragon leaped into the skies. He circled the castle once or twice, and Vector could hear startled noises coming from those who could see him from below. 

**They will never forget what you and your dragon have done here together,** the demon whispered. **Use that.**

Vector considered pushing that away as he had all the other suggestions. But the more he thought on it, the more it wasn't such a bad idea. He wouldn't threaten them with Mizael, not when they could all see that he'd left, but none of them knew how long the dragon might be gone or if Vector couldn't get him back at a moment's notice. 

It was something to think about anyway. And he would need a great deal to occupy himself as he sorted out important matters such as his father's funeral and his own coronation and everything else that he wanted and needed to do. 

His gaze still followed Mizael, just visible against the mountains. Never once in his life had he imagined that being sent to be a dragon's dinner would end up with him on the throne of the kingdom, his father dead, and the power of a demon flowing through his veins. 

_Learn how to fly and meet me up there._ How much of a promise was that? What had Mizael truly meant by it? Did dragons – could they - 

**Dragons mate in the skies.**

Vector did not know how the demon knew this. He did not care. Mizael had made him an offer. It was one he wasn't going to go back on. All he needed to do was learn to fly, and then wait for Mizael's visit. 

And perhaps find a few trinkets to share as well. Mizael might not want a virgin, but something to add to his hoard? Vector already had a few thoughts on what that could be. 

* * *

Don Thousand smiled. His new work was well-begun. 

**The End**

**Note:** I am entertaining the notion of a sequel. But not for some time to come.


End file.
